Even if the flight attendant did try to push Quinonez back into her seat, striking her repeatedly is not a proportional response or valid self-defense.īut I will say this: if I was judge or jury and it was proven that the flight attendant was screaming and pushing the passenger first, Quinonez would not be receiving as harsh a sentence. Perhaps they are nothing but a pathetic last-ditch attempt to fight jail time, but if true, do provide better context of what happened.Įven if verbally provoked, there is no defense for a close-fist punching of a flight attendant that knocks her teeth out. Manner added that the flight attendant was screaming at Quinonez, which triggered the situation by unnecessarily raising tensions.Īs Quinonez faces criminal charges which may land her not just a hefty fine, but jail time, the new claims are an interesting twist. Get your hands off of me,” several times before touching the flight attendant. She has testified that the Qunonez yelled, “Get off me. Michelle Manner, another passenger on the flight, backs up that account. Quinonez claims she was acting in self-defense against an overly-aggressive flight attendant, who physically grabbed her before she even laid a hand on her. When the flight attendant told her to sit down again, she attacked the flight attendant. A flight attendant told her remain seated and put her mask on and refuse, but she refused. Initial reports suggested the that after Southwest Airlines flight 700 from Sacramento (SMF) to San Diego (SAN) landed, Quinonez removed her seatbelt and stood up. And she has an onboard witness who backs her up who is not a member of the family… Passenger Claims Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Was Initial Aggressor In Assault That Resulted In Lost Teeth But Quinonez, now arraigned in federal court, claims she was only acting in self-defense. Not only did she punch a flight in the attendant in the face and grab her by the hair, but broke three teeth, injured her eye, and bruised her arm. "I think for flight attendants going to work today, the mental exhaustion of 'what am I going to be dealing with?' - you just don't know what's going to happen on your flight today," she added.Vyvianna Quinonez brutally attacked a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in May in a story that made headlines around the world. "We've never had passengers assault us like this," Hedrick said, referring to Wednesday's incident, The Post reported. Many described how the violence affected their mental health and created an "emotionally abusive" work environment. We're also working with the FAA, who has the authority to levy fines of over $50,000 to disruptive passengers," he said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration.įlight attendants across the US faced a swell in physical and verbal abuse when US travel eclipsed pre-pandemic levels this summer, Insider's Allana Akhtar reported. "We are doing everything we can to ensure he is prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The offending passenger was barred from flying with the airline, said Parker, who added that a travel ban "is not enough" as punishment. The assault was "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed," said Doug Parker, American Airlines' CEO, in a video statement on Thursday. Julie Hedrick, APFA's president, said the attendant initially apologized to the passenger after she bumped into him in the first-class cabin, but that didn't stop him from attacking her, The Washington Post reported. One witness, Mackenzie Rose, told the outlet that the flight attendant walked back down the aisle and had "blood splattered on the outside of her mask."Īnother witness said there happened to be a doctor on the flight who assessed the injury and said the attendant's nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding, ABC News reported. The flight attendant had bumped into the passenger, who later got up from his seat and punched her twice in the face in front of the galley, said officials from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, who cited witnesses on the plane, CBSLA reported. After the incident, the plane diverted to Denver, and the passenger was detained, American Airlines said. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The assault happened on Flight 976 from New York's John F. The assault is one in a barrage of abuse that attendants have faced since travel surged this summer.Īn American Airlines flight attendant was admitted to the hospital with broken bones in her face after she was attacked by a passenger on Wednesday. The airline's CEO said it was working to ensure the attacker is "prosecuted to the fullest extent." Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesĪ passenger punched an American Airlines flight attendant twice in the face, union officials said. Flight attendants say they've been caught in a rising spate of verbal and physical abuse since travel surged in the summer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |